Double Trouble
by JEM515
Summary: A sequel to A Chance Meeting. Daniel and Jack spend some more time with the Emersons. Rated T because of a smidge of bad language and a bit of violence. No permanant damage to any of the characters.


Double Trouble

by Jo

Glancing at his watch, Jack wondered how much longer Dr. Radcliffe Emerson was going to speak. Not that it wasn't all very interesting, but sitting still with a squirming five year old on your lap for over an hour could be very uncomfortable. And while Emerson was certainly an entertaining speaker, most of the lecture was a bit too technical for Jack.

Daniel was ensconced in his lap, because they had been too late to get decent seats. After escaping the world's scariest 10 year old, aka Ramses Emerson, Jack had dragged Daniel to the bathroom. Daniel had insisted that he didn't need to go, but Jack reminded him about the Grande Latte and the much smaller bladder. And pointed out that if Daniel had to go during the lecture, he might miss something important. With less than 15 minutes to spare before the scheduled starting time, most of the seats were filled. And there were no open seats near the front of the room.

So, now, Jack's legs were falling asleep.

On the bright side, having Daniel in his lap made it easier to shush Daniel when he go excited. Throughout Emerson's speech, Daniel would tense-up and start bouncing in Jack's lap. That was Jack's cue to watch for Daniel's mouth opening. At which point he would calmly put his hand over Daniel's mouth to keep the kid quiet.

Trying to keep Daniel out of a discussion on Ancient Egypt was nearly impossible, but Jack figured that a five year old asking the kind of questions that Daniel was bound to ask, might raise a few eyebrows. Hopefully, most of the audience assumed that Jack had brought Daniel to the lecture because he couldn't find a babysitter. No one needed to know that he was holding one of Earth's most valuable scientists on his lap.

The best part of the lecture was watching how Mrs. Emerson and Ramses reacted to the speech. Amelia appeared to be fighting to keep Ramses quiet, while also trying to keep Emerson on track. When responding to questions, Emerson tended to get a bit excited. And start criticizing the published works and their authors, being referenced by the audience members who were brave enough to ask questions.

Jack had to admit that Radcliffe Emerson was an impressive looking man. He was as tall and broad as Teal'c, with black wavy hair and sapphire blue eyes. Emerson's suit was a bit rumpled and his tie had been yanked off less than 10 minutes into the lecture. He rarely looked at his notes, and he had abandoned the podium, in favor of pacing in front of the audience.

Amelia and Ramses sat up front with a group of well dressed people that Jack figured were connected to the museum. Whenever Emerson would get caught up into a rant about one of his rivals, Amelia would clear her throat loudly. At one point, when someone in the audience mentioned the contributions of Wallis Budge to modern archeology, Emerson turned purple and Amelia actually stepped forward and handed him a bottle of water.

Daniel had been nodding vigorously in agreement of Emerson's comments on Budge. For some reason Budge had always been a sore point with Daniel. Something to do with bad translations...

As the lecture came to a finish, Jack whispered into Daniel's ear, "Great. If we leave now, we can head to Central Park and do a bit of hiking. We both need the fresh air after being inside all day."

"Jack! I wanted to stay for the reception. And we told Mrs. Emerson and Ramses that we would be there," whined Daniel.

"And that's why I don't want to go. These people are too smart to think that you're just some precocious five year old. If you get into a conversation with any of them... "

"But, on the other hand, obviously Dr. and Mrs. Emerson are used to having a very bright child. Ramses isn't an average 10 year old. They might just accept me as a little genius. And I could talk with Emerson about his theory on Meroe, "argued Daniel.

Jack looked down into Daniel's hopeful face. He knew that although the SGC had hired some of the brightest minds in the world and had a few archeologists with whom Daniel loved to work, Emerson represented something else. An archeologist who had spent his life doing exactly what Daniel had planned to do with his life prior to joining the Stargate program. And yes, having a child like Ramses might keep the Emersons from guessing just how special Daniel was.

"Fine. We'll go the reception, stay long enough for you to meet Emerson and then we're done. No long chats. No comparing favorite dig-sites. Just a meet and greet and we're outta there!"

Daniel smiled, "Yes, Jack. I promise. No long talks. Just let me say hello and we can leave."

* * *

Jack was leaning against a wall, near the refreshment table. He contemplated grabbing another cookie or getting a plate of fruit.

For the past 20 minutes, Daniel had been chatting up Emerson. Whenever someone tried to join the conversation or interrupt the miniature archeologist, Emerson growled at the interloper. Jack was impressed. This guy really needed to meet Teal'c.

Jack had drifted away from the duo when he realized that Emerson didn't even seem to notice that Daniel was a child. Two minutes into the conversation, Emerson started treating the kid with more respect than he had shown most of the museum curators and college professors who had attended the lecture.

A loud, rumbling laugh drew Jack's attention back to Daniel and Emerson. From the look on Emerson's face, Jack figured that Daniel had shared his Budge joke. The joke that only the archeology department people at the SGC seemed to get.

"Mr. O'Neill. Would you care to join me for a cup of tea?"

Jack jumped a bit, inwardly cursing himself for letting a professor's wife sneak up on him.

Amelia Peabody Emerson stood a few feet a way, with a small smile on her face. Jack studied her for a moment, wondering how any woman could handle the larger than life persona of Radcliffe Emerson.

"I would enjoy that very much, thank you," replied Jack.

"Wonderful. I was so hoping that you and Daniel would be attending the reception. You've both made quite an impression on my son. And now, Daniel has entranced my husband. He's clearly an exceptional child, " stated Amelia, leading the way to a nearby table.

Jack noted that the table was in full view of where Emerson and Daniel sat talking. He looked around the room and realized that Ramses seemed to be missing.

"Where is your son? He's a character," commented Jack.

Amelia closed her eyes a moment and sighed, "Yes, he does have a lot of character. I believe he's exploring the museum's permanent Egyptian collection. He has strong views on how artifacts should be displayed and wanted to make some notes for the curator. He also is planning on giving the curator some corrections to some of the translations for the hieroglyphs found on the temple pillars. I fully expect that our family will be banned from this museum by the time our visit is over."

Jack laughed. Ramses sounded like he might be even more trouble than Daniel. Which Jack had previously thought was impossible.

With a bit of urging, Amelia shared a few Ramses stories, including his attempt to save a lion from captivity (age 6), his discovery of an ancient cache of artifacts (age 7) and his correction of Emerson's most recent draft of "A History of Egypt".

When Emerson and Daniel joined them at the table, Jack realized that they had been at the reception for almost two hours and most of the attendees had left the party.

"Amelia, have you met Daniel Jackson? He's the brightest person to here today," announced Emerson.

"We haven't been formally introduced, but I've heard quite a bit about him from Ramses. They met earlier, before your speech. Daniel, it is very nice to meet you," said Amelia.

Emerson looked around the room. "Where is Ramses? He said that he was taking a quick look upstairs and then would meet us here."

Amelia sighed, "I'm sure he lost track of time. But we should go collect him before he causes too much trouble. I believe the museum closes at six today... and it's five thirty now. Mr. O'Neill, I hate to ask, but would you and Daniel mind helping us gather Ramses? Then perhaps you would join us for dinner."

"Yes, yes, I would love to continue my conversation with Daniel after we find Ramses. He can't have gone too far..."

Jack frowned, "Um, is it really a good idea to let a little boy wander around a museum alone. I know that Ramses is very intelligent, but he is still a child. Maybe things are different in England, but this is New York City. There are some scary people here..."

Emerson turned red and started to reply, but Amelia spoke first, "I understand your concern, Mr. O'Neill, but Ramses is an unusual child. We've tried hiring nannies, tudors and even body guards for him, but he always gets away. For the past year, I've found the best method of keeping track of him is by setting ground rules and relying on his sense of honor to abide by those rules. And Ramses is entirely capable of defending himself against most criminals. It would take more than one person, and the element of surprise, to catch Ramses off his guard."

"Okay. I'm not sure I want to know how you know that, but Daniel and I will help you find him," agreed Jack. "We'll look back in the special exhibit room. You check out the permanent collection. We'll meet in the main entrance hall in 30 minutes. If we still haven't found him, we'll get the guards to help."

"Um, Jack? We should take the permanent collection. I know that section of the museum really well and I know all the good hiding spots," suggested Daniel.

Jack picked Daniel up and held him on his hip, studying his serious little face.

"Fine. We'll take the permanent collection and the Emerson's can take the exhibit. Let's go."

* * *

Jack insisted on carrying Daniel through the permanent Egyptian Collection. Despite Daniel's insistence that he wasn't scared or upset by visiting the place where his parents had died, Jack felt the need to hold him close.

The rooms seemed brighter and more colorful than what Jack had seen in the Gamekeeper's version of the museum. He figured that in the past 30 years, the exhibit had been redone a few times. He wondered if the small temple, that Daniel's parents had been working on, was still displayed. Or if the museum had chosen not to display those artifacts due to the tragedy.

Daniel had never talked much about that day. After their visit to the Gamekeeper's world, Jack had dragged Daniel back to his house and tried to force the kid to talk. Daniel had refused, saying that his mission report said enough on the subject.

There weren't many people left in the museum and the guards seemed determined to push people towards the door. When Daniel pleaded with one of the older guards to enter his absolute favorite room in the whole museum, Jack repressed a groan. He wondered if Daniel had played the cuteness factor this much during his first childhood.

Daniel's "favorite room" appeared to be empty. And it also contained a very familiar set of pillars holding a coverstone.

"Dammit Daniel! Why do we have to look in here? This is sick," exclaimed Jack.

"We're here to find Ramses. Do you see that door? It leads to the storage area... if I were a kid interested in ancient Egypt looking around a museum on my own, I would want to see the stuff that isn't on dislplay. I bet he's in there."

"Fine. We'll look in the room. But if opening this door sets off any alarms..."

Daniel smiled, "If opening the doors sets off any alarms, you can blame me. Then instead of the guy trying to sneak around a museum, you'll be the guy who can't control his kid."

"That pretty much describes me," agreed Jack.

He opened the door and sure enough, there was Ramses. But he wasn't alone.

* * *

Two men in security guard uniforms were in the storage room with him. Ramses appeared to be tied up and the larger of the two men was tying a gag over the kid's mouth. The other man turned to face Jack and Daniel. He had a gun.

"Shit!" Jack tried to assess the situation. He had an armful of Daniel, another kid in immediate danger and two thugs with guns. This was very bad.

"What the F#k! Who are you?" demanded the man holding Ramses.

The other man simply gestured with his gun, for Jack to come into the room. Jack hesitated, but he couldn't take a chance the guy firing at him while he was holding Daniel.

He blinked several times and stuttered, "Uh, uh, I was just looking for the bathroom. My kid really needs to use the bathroom... I can see you're having some trouble here and if you just point the way to the nearest men's room, we'll be on our way."

"Just get in here. There's no need for anyone to get hurt," stated the man with gun in a quiet voice.

Jack reluctantly entered the room. He could feel Daniel shivering in his arms. Jack gave Daniel a little squeeze and began rubbing his back.

"What did you do to my friend?" asked Daniel, staring at Ramses' still form.

"Nothing you need to worry about... but, how do you know young Walter?" demanded the quiet man.

Daniel started to answer, but Jack interrupted him, "We just met the kid today. He seemed pretty smart and he kind of showed off a bit for us. My kid thinks he's super cool"

"Hmmmm, yes, I can see that... however, you've stumbled into a rather awkward situation. Put down your son and then keep your hands where I can see them," ordered the man with the gun.

"No! Please, I, I'm scared. Daddy, don't put me down!" pleaded Daniel.

Jack inwardly praised Daniel for his acting ability. He seemed to understand that they needed these guys to underestimate them. So it was Dumb Jack and the Scared Little Kid to the rescue!

"It's okay son, everything will be okay," promised Jack as he gently set Daniel on the ground.

Daniel's lower lip started to quiver and he grabbed Jack's legs, pressing his face against Jack's body. It was a very good performance and Jack started to wonder how much was pretend. This was a pretty scary situation. Any normal child would have totally freaked out by now. The adult Daniel may be used to the whole being held at gunpoint thing, but this was kid-Daniel.

"What's your name son?" asked the gunman.

Daniel just shook his head and gripped Jack's legs tighter.

"What's the child's name" the man asked Jack.

"Billy. His name is Billy. And he is a very scared little boy. If you would just let us go, I promise, we won't tell anyone about this... whole thing," said Jack.

Regretfully, the man shook his head, "That may not be possible."

He glanced over at his companion and gestured towards Jack with the gun, "Would you please search our guest?"

Good, thought Jack. Get the big guy over here, disable him and toss him at the guy with a gun.

Shit!

As the other man moved towards Jack, the gunman reached forward and pulled Daniel towards him, carefully holding the gun at the sobbing child's head.

"Just in case you had any doubt. If you resist, I will shoot him, " the man assured Jack.

The big thug patted down Jack with the efficiency of an airport security guard. He pulled Jack's wallet from his pocket, along with his keys and sunglasses. He walked away from Jack, flipping open the wallet to read Jack's drivers license.

Daniel was released and he darted back to Jack's side.

"Uh, boss? This guy is a general in the Air Force. I think we have a problem."

"It's always something. A simple plan. No need for anyone to get hurt. And a kid gets into my warehouse and removes the most valuable object. Find the kid, plan to ask him a few questions and get interrupted by an Air Force General and his son. There is only one thing that could make this day worse..." muttered the gunman.

Jack decided it was time to act. Giving Daniel a gentle little kick, he moved forward as Daniel rolled away from him.

He had knocked out the larger of the two men before the gunman got his weapon aimed.. Jack started to grab for the gun when he heard a sharp gasp from behind him.

Looking back, he saw that Daniel had been grabbed by a third man. It was the security guard that Daniel had talked to earlier.

"General O'Neill, as you can see, my other associate has your son. I suggest you cease these attempts to overpower us and let me think!" ordered the gunman.

Jack shrugged, his eyes focused on Daniel's face. The older man had one arm wrapped around Daniel's neck. Too many years spend doing Black Ops had taught Jack just how little pressure was needed to kill a full grown man. If the man wanted to kill Daniel, there was nothing Jack would be able to do to stop it.

Suddenly, Jack felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and the world went dark.

The gunman carefully aimed his weapon at Jack's unmoving form.

"Billy, if I let Bob put you down, do you promise to be very, very quiet? I really don't want to hurt you or your father. This was just bad timing on both our parts. But if you so much as squeak, I'm going to have to kill your father and it will be your fault. Do you understand?"

Daniel's eyes widened at the threat to Jack. This was bad. Jack was hurt and these men would probably kill them no matter what and then Ramses would be kidnapped and tortured and killed and ... wait a minute... where was Ramses?

Keeping his eyes facing Jack and the gunman, Daniel managed a little nod in agreement to the man's demands. But he realized that Ramses was no longer visible behind the man. He had been lying on the floor, all tied up, just a few feet away, but... he was gone.

As Bob set Daniel down onto the floor, Daniel immediately moved towards Jack. When no one stopped him, he wrapped his arms around Jack and glared up at the gunman.

"Why did you hurt my daddy?" he demanded.

"Listen kid, I've already explained.. I didn't want to hurt your father and I don't want to hurt you. I'm going to have Bob tie you up and then we'll be on our way. By tomorrow morning, the regular security team will find you and this will be all over," promised the man.

"You're a bad, bad man. I don't trust you."

" And that's a very good thing. I am a bad man and you should never trust me. But I promise, if you behave, I won't hurt you."

Bob walked to the far end of the storage room to get some rope. On his way back, he paused and looked around.

"Uh, where's the other kid?"

BAM! Down came a metal shelving unit filled with pottery shards, right on top of Bob. The older man was pinned down by the rubble.

Daniel used the distraction to reach into his backpack and withdraw a large, hard rubber ball. He threw the ball with all his strength at the gunman's head. The man dropped his weapon, clutching his temple in shock.

Ramses snuck up behind him and tackled him. The man easily rolled them both over and held the boy still.

"I've had quite enough from you boys. And I'm going to have to punish you now!"

Daniel screamed as loud as he could. The door to the storeroom burst open and the remaining shelves quaked.

"Unhand my son, you Master Criminal!" demanded Amelia Peabody Emerson. She hurried into the room brandishing an umbrella. Radcliffe Emerson didn't say a word. He gracefully stepped around his wife and plucked the hapless criminal off of his child.

The large man regarded his prey without compassion. Holding him by the neck, against the wall, he appeared to be contemplating the best method for eviscerating the man.

"Ramses! Are you alright?" cried Amelia, gathering her child into her arms.

The boy sighed, "I am well, Mama. But I believe that General O'Neill may be in need of medical assistance. That man hit him rather hard with the butt of his gun. It was unfortunate that I was unable to intercede before that turn of events. I had just gotten out of the ropes and rolled under the shelves when the General tried to overpower the gunman. I believe he would have succeeded if there had not been a third accomplice who threatened Daniel. However, I am very thankful to both the General and Daniel for their efforts on my behalf and indeed if.."

"Shush, Ramses. Daniel, are you alright?" asked Amelia.

Daniel blinked. He wasn't really sure. Everything had happened so fast and Jack was hurt and why hadn't Jack woken up yet? Didn't Jack usually wake up faster then this...

Amelia gently pulled Daniel into her arms. He began to cry and he couldn't stop.

"You were a very brave boy and I'm sure that Mr., er, General O'Neill will be fine. Let's go over and check on him together. Did you know that in Egypt, my nickname is Sitt Hakim? It means..."

"The Lady Doctor," whispered Daniel, through his sobs. Jack was so still...

"What a bright boy! You speak Arabic! Ramses spoke Arabic before he spoke English. In fact some people think he's a little Egyptian boy who we adopted, but really he looks just like his father. Now, this doesn't look too bad, I think the general will wake up soon and he'll be very happy to see that you're safe," assured Amelia as she looked at Jack's wound.

On cue, Jack moaned as Amelia lightly pressed on the bump on the back of his head.

"Shit! Ow! Wait... Daniel! Where's Daniel?" demanded Jack, trying to sit up.

"I'm here! I'm okay. We're both okay!" cried Daniel, wrapping his arms around Jack in a tight hug.

"Blast it O'Neill! Would you watch your language around my wife! What kind of a man uses that kind language around women and children," roared Emerson, shaking his prisoner for emphasis.

Jack winced at the loud voice, "I'm very sorry if I offended you, Mrs. Emerson. I guess I'm a bit shaken. Is Ramses okay?"

"I'm fine General. And indeed, I am indebted to you for your brave attempt to rescue me. I feel that if you had not been tricked by the third accomplice you most certainly would have..."

Amelia interjected, "Yes. Thank you so much for trying to protect Ramses. As you guessed earlier, he has a tendency to find the most difficult situations and place himself in danger... Ah, Emerson, would you please release that man to the police officers? They are beginning to look a bit impatient and the faster that they are able to remove the criminal element from this room, the faster that the General may be attended to by professional medical assistance. Although I am confident that he will be fine, he should perhaps visit a hospital to make sure that there is no more serious damage than I can diagnose."

Tossing the criminal at the waiting police officers, Emerson nodded. "Yes. Just because a few poor beggars in the streets of Cairo think you're a doctor because you treat their splinters and stomach maladies, don't go thinking you can diagnose more serious conditions. Trust me O'Neill, you don't want her to start doctoring you. She's a menace! The first time she tried to practice medicine on me, she shaved off my beard. Isn't that ridiculous! I loved that beard! And the blasted woman goes and shaves it off without my permission!"

"Yes, dear. I know you miss your beard. But you are so much more handsome without it. If you still had your beard, I wouldn't be able to see the lovely dimple in your chin and you know how much I love that dimple!"

Emerson pulled his wife close for a hug. "Peabody. Have I told you recently that you are the light of my life?"

* * *

Later that night, Jack and Daniel sat in the living area of the Emerson's suite at the Plaza Hotel. After an amazingly short visit to the ER, Jack had been diagnosed with a mild concussion and released with the promise that he have someone to check on him during the night. Daniel had volunteered to take care of him, but Amelia simply announced that she had arranged for them to get an adjoining room to their suite and that she would take care of both of them.

Phone calls had been made to Stargate Command and to the Pentagon to let everyone know that Jack was would be out of commission for a few days. Janet Frasier had called Jack's attending doctor at the ER and been assured that there were no major problems. She, Carter and Teal'c would be flying in tomorrow afternoon to take over on Jack sitting duty.

Daniel was staying as close to Jack as humanly possible. Things had gotten a bit ugly at the ER, when the doctor tried to take Jack to the X-Ray room. Daniel knew that Jack would be okay for a few minutes and that he couldn't stay with Jack during an X-Ray, but somehow, he just couldn't let him go.

Emerson had bullied the doctor into letting him accompany Daniel to the X-Ray room. Daniel only had to let go of Jack long enough for the actual test, which wasn't really very long at all.

Now he sat curled next to Jack on a very comfortable sofa. The Emerson's had dinner delivered to the suite and everything had tasted great.

Ramses was watching an Indian Jones DVD on the large screen television. He and Emerson had a running commentary on the historical and cultural inaccuracies. Amelia was absorbed in a book.

Jack looked down at the small child snuggled against his side and smiled. Today had been scary. Maybe the scariest day of his life. He had almost lost his best friend and his kid. But, thank God for genius kids, super-hero archeologists and protective mothers. Daniel was safe. And they had made some very interesting new friends.

Finis

Stargate, SG-1, and all the characters don't belong to me... I just like to taking them out to play occasionally. No money will be gained from this. It's just for fan entertainment purposes. For this story I have also borrowed Elizabeth Peter's characters Amelia Peabody Emerson, Radcliffe Emerson and Ramses. They don't belong to me, but I had fun playing with them.


End file.
